The San Francisco Giants have spent all winter striking out on star pitchers. It’s time to even the score.
Not only did Blake Snell leave town, but he signed with the arch-rival Los Angeles Dodgers, further strengthening the defending World Series champions. Then, the Giants targeted Corbin Burnes, but he ended up signing with another division rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
If the Giants can’t land their new top-of-the-rotation arm in free agency, then, a trade may be their only solution. It might cost the Giants some high-upside position player talent, but if you don’t have quality starting pitching
The Giants already traded once with the Seattle Mariners last offseason, nabbing former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray. Could they go back to the Seattle well to snag three-time All-Star Luis Castillo?
In a recent YouTube video, content creator Jim Riley proposed a trade that would ship Castillo to San Francisco in exchange for infielders Marco Luciano and Casey Schmitt.
“You pair Castillo with Logan Webb and I’m starting to feel better,” Riley said. “You’re fourth in that division for your rotation. That’s got to get better.”
“They have some pieces… that could slot into regular roles for the Seattle Mariners in 2025.”
Castillo, 32, had a 3.64 ERA in a semi-down year in 2024. He has 471 strikeouts in 437 2/3 innings pitched during his Seattle career, and in a pitcher’s park in San Francisco, any concerns about his slightly elevated fly ball rate would be mitigated.
Luciano and Schmitt have both shown flashes at the major league level, but neither has a clear path to playing time in 2024. Luciano was the bigger prospect and is still much younger at age 23, but including him might be the only way to coax Seattle into this deal.
With $72 million remaining on his Mariners contract over three years, Castillo is an affordable arm for the Giants compared to what they would have spent in free agency. But they have to sell the Mariners on any offer they make before they can start penciling him into their rotation.
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